


If I Had To Wait Forever

by MyChemicalRachel



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Frank is a cat, Gen, Gerard is a dog, I swear this isn't crack, It's basically crack with feelings, It's just kind of an unusual storyline, M/M, Okay it's kind of crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 11:46:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6802486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyChemicalRachel/pseuds/MyChemicalRachel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank is a cat and Gerard is a dog. I really don't know what the hell this is, but it's sort of crack? But also sort of not???</p>
            </blockquote>





	If I Had To Wait Forever

**** “You’re going to see him again, aren’t you?”

Gerard’s head tilts to the side, toward the mutt he didn’t see standing there before. He hesitates where he is, frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, barely even his nose out of the abandoned alleyway. “Of course not…” Even to his own perked up ears, it sounds like a lie. Mikey can hear this, too.

“Bullshit.” The second mutt, a smaller of the same mixed breed, growls. Mikey takes a step forward in the alley, coming into the light of a nearby streetlamp. His brown fur is matted and the thin frame seems even more prominent in the shadows. His yellowed teeth are bared. “You can’t go. It’s dangerous, Gerard. Don’t you understand that?”

Gerard lets his head fall forward. He hates the sight of his own scruffed paws beneath him. They only go to prove further what his brother is barking at him-- He can’t go tonight. He never should have gone in the first place. But he had gone, so many times, and it became an addiction. He had to. Dangerous or not, he had to see Frank.

“You should get back to the yard,” Gerard finally says, nodding his head in the general direction of the junkyard the others occupy-- His home, his family, the other dogs who don’t understand his desire. Complete strangers to Gerard. He avoids his brother’s dark eyes. “Before the others realize you’re missing.”

“And what happens when they realize _ you’re  _  missing?” Mikey takes another step, his claws scuffling against the uneven asphalt. “They’ll know you were with him. They can  _ smell   _ him on you.” Gerard doesn’t reply. He knows it’s true. Another step closer from Mikey. “Don’t go. Please. Just come back to the yard.”

It’s not a question, but Gerard shakes his head. He finally looks up to meet Mikey’s glittering eyes in the dark. “Cover for me.” And then he heads out of the alley, leaving his brother behind without a response. He knows Mikey will cover for him, however much he hates it, but they’re blood. And he knows that Mikey is just looking out for him, trying his damndest to protect the older of the two, but Gerard is stubborn.

He doesn’t go straight to their meeting place. He knows Frank will be waiting by now, as he’s already running a little late judging by the low-hanging moon shining brightly in the Jersey sky, but Gerard needs to make a stop first. He keeps to the shadows, his wiry frame almost invisible in the darkened streets. A few people glance as they walk by, but no one pays much attention to a mangy mutt in this city. It’s filled with once-domestic pets, cats and dogs alike, who were either abandoned or ran away from their owners in search of a better life. It’s rare they find something better among these lonely streets, as Gerard was well aware of. He grew up on these streets, learning the ins and outs, every nook and cranny of the city, only to find that what he wanted most was a companion.

He was one of the lucky ones who found such a thing.

The only downside was the defining line, the absolute boundary that separated Frank from himself.

Frank was a cat.

Frank was a stray who held his own in the rough city. When his owners, a man and a woman who he lived with since he was a kitten, divorced he was left in a “free” box on the side of the road. But no one came. No one was interested in a dirty orange cat whose lifespan was already half over. And so he too learned the ways of the city, the ways to survive with the other animals all fighting for food and shelter and, more importantly, he learned to stay away from animal control.

Frank is already waiting when Gerard arrives. He’s hidden among the dumpsters lining the back wall of a rundown movie theater, watching and lurking though the alley is abandoned. When Gerard comes, slowing his steps and letting out a low whimper, Frank knows it’s him.

The small orange cat doesn’t look much bigger than a kitten, bones protruding in an unhealthy way, but the glint in his bright eyes is ever present when he emerges from his hiding. “I wasn’t sure if you would make it.” He moves toward the dog, bigger than himself, and rubs his head along Gerard’s side in greeting. Gerard is warm, his black fur thick and welcoming.

Gerard feels himself drawn to Frank’s touch and silently curses himself. He remembers what Mikey said about smelling the cat on him, but the memory is distant and he pushes it aside, dropping the food in his mouth. The food he had found and hid earlier in the day to save for his friend.

Frank looks first at the half-eaten hamburger on the alley floor and then up to Gerard’s eyes. He makes no move to eat it though, hesitant. He’s known Gerard for quite some time now, but every movement he makes is measured. He trusts Gerard, loves him, but there’s a constant tugging at the back of Frank’s mind that refuses to let him forget the harsh reality of it all; Gerard is a dog. He is a predator and Frank is a cat.

Gerard nudges the food with his nose. It shifts only slightly closer to the cat. “For you.” He nudges it again and Frank doesn’t need to be told twice.

He steps closer, taking the first bite. When he realizes Gerard isn’t doing the same, he looks up. Franks bats at the food with a single paw, telling the dog without words that he wants to share. The dog complies easily and the two share the meal.

When the food is gone, Gerard sniffs along the wall of the theater. It takes a moment, but he finds a place rather easily and pads around on the ground a few times before lying down. He curls into a ball, head resting on his paws as he meets Frank’s gaze.

Franks wanders over to the dog, amused. “Tired already?” He teases, but finds solace at the dog’s side, nuzzling his face into the mutt’s fur. He ignores the smell that seems to assault him, tangy and bitter and dirty, and instead focuses on the familiarity is brings with it. It’s the smell of Gerard.

Gerard nudges the smaller one with his nose, his tongue lapping out to drag roughly against Frank’s matted hair. Frank begins purring almost instantly, pulling himself closer and stretching. When he falls asleep, Gerard is still there, an omnipresent being. His only friend in the world.

When he awakes, Gerard is gone. It’s not unusual for the dog to disappear some nights. He has the almost scary ability to move without waking up the cat, to move so stealthily it surprises even Frank.

 

Gerard knows he’s in trouble as soon as he steps into the yard. The others have gathered and he can spot Mikey, cowering away from the group, whimpering. It’s obvious, even from here, that his paw is injured by the way he hangs it in the air. Mikey’s eyes dart nervously around the yard before meeting Gerard’s. His body visibly tenses and he looks apologetic. The others turn, following his gaze, and see Gerard.

Gerard doesn’t think. Only acts. It’s an instinct, pure movement on his limbs part without the consent of his brain, and he’s turning on his heels, running.

He lasts longer than he thought he would, a scrawny mixed breed mutt pitted against dogs twice his size, his weight, his strength. But a few blocks later, Gerard finds himself cornered. A few of the bigger dogs look rabid, growling and barking, teeth bared in offense. Ready to strike and prepared to kill. Gerard sinks back on his hind legs, whimpering. He knows what’s coming as the leader of his pack steps forward.

Ray snarls, watching Gerard with a look of unabashed disgust. Covered on both flanks, Ray is untouchable. He’s the leader, he’s in charge, and he’s pissed. “Gerard…” He says and he actually manages to sound somewhat saddened.

“I can explain--” Gerard tries to take a pleading step forward, but the others are having none of that and the dog to Ray’s left lets out a deafening bark. Gerard is silenced.

“I don’t want an explanation,” Ray spits. “I can smell it on you, the feline. You’ve been warned about seeing him. And you betrayed us, your own family. You know the price of your actions.”

And he does. Gerard knows well the punishment he’s chosen. So he closes his eyes and waits. He doesn’t feel anything for a long moment, like he’s floating, finally freed from the damned body that put him in this position in the first place. If only he wasn’t so different from Frank, things could have ended better. They could have been together. But he can’t change himself and he feels the pain ripping through him only a short few seconds later. It starts in his side but before he can even pinpoint exactly where, it’s exploding within him, stretching out and the screaming howl he hears echoing in his ears barely sounds like his own. Luckily, it doesn’t take long for the pain to fade into a dull ache. White dances around in the corners of his vision, dotting the darkness with a pureness that seems to beckon him. And he follows the light, desiring more now than ever to have the serenity it offers.

 

Frank is going through a dumpster when the dog arrives. It’s more of a smell than a sound that gives it away and Frank peeks his head over the top of the garbage bin. The alley is shadowed, almost completely dark even at the break of noon. He almost doesn’t see the dog at first, it’s thin body hidden along the opposite wall, the brown fur seeming to blend in with the cracked paint. When his eyes do find the lanky figure, he’s immediately grateful he’s in the dumpster, up away from the other animal. However, the dog doesn’t bark at him. It doesn’t even move and Frank finds himself drawn to some familiar presence the dog offers.

Finally, the dog scuffles closer. “You smell of him,” He says and Frank doesn’t even question who he’s referring to. He knows the dog means Gerard. He can smell it on himself. “You’re Frank.” The cat doesn’t answer, unsure of what exactly to say. He simply waits. Eventually the dog moves closer again. “Something has happened. I need your help.”

Now Frank snorts. He goes back to digging through the trash, searching for something to silence his growling stomach. The dog needs his help. Yeah. That sounds believable. Until the dog lets out a low whimper and sits down heavily on the alley ground. “He’s been hurt,” He says. “ _ Please _ . Gerard needs you.”

Frank knows it could be a trap. It could be nothing more than a scheme to lure him out of the trashcan, to the dogs own level as an easy-to-catch snack. But he doesn’t care anymore because Gerard might be in trouble and that’s all that matters. When he jumps out of the dumpster, the dog stands. Instead of attacking, he turns on his heels and heads out of the alley. Frank notices it walks with a limp, but decides better than asking why. Instead, he focuses on the more important issue at hand. “Where is Gerard? What happened?”

“They left him in an alley, a few blocks from here,” The dog replies. He gallops along at a pace Frank easily keeps, slow due to the mutt’s injured paw.

“Who left him?” Frank demands. “The other dogs?”

“They smelled you on him again,” The dog says, sounding pained. “They know where his loyalties lie and they weren’t happy about it.”

Frank’s paws feel like jelly under his body, and his pace stutters. This is because of him. Gerard is hurt, possibly dying or dead, because of Frank.

The dog skids to a halt, cursing in a huff of breath. Frank stops, too, and his blood seems to freeze in his veins. He sees the familiar black dog being loaded into a cage, though Gerard doesn’t move. There’s a sticky liquid matted into the fur on his side and his mouth hangs open, eyes closed. And Frank watches as the motionless body of his friend is loaded into the back of a green truck. Frank learned early to avoid those trucks.

Animal control.

“Frank!” The brown dog huffs when the truck roars to life. “What are you doing?!”

Frank doesn’t answer. He doesn’t listen. He only moves. He runs after the truck, following it through the twists and turns of the street, dodging around the feet of humans and car tires. It’s practically a suicide mission, but Frank pushes on.

Eventually, the truck stops and a few men round the corner of the vehicle, unloading the cage containing Gerard. A back door is propped open and the cage is carried inside. Frank follows Gerard, willing the dog to move, to bark, to whine,  _ anything _ .

Frank makes it into the first room, a lobby complete with a plastic plant and a metal desk, before anyone notices him. A brunette human steps around the desk, smiling down at him. “Aren’t you just the cutest little kitty?” She coos. Frank watches as Gerard disappears through a door leading to the back of the building. The door thunks closed behind him, cutting Frank off. He moves to the door, looking up, and meows. “Are you lost, buddy?” The human woman asks. She leans down and pets him, and Frank is too preoccupied to care. He meows again and again, demanding to see his friend. But the human doesn’t understand him, like he’s not speaking at all. So Frank sits down beside the door and resigns himself to waiting for Gerard to come back out.

 

_ Two Years Later. _

Abigail is sorting out adoption papers for a small girl and her father when the orange cat jumps onto her desk, purring. He rubs his face against her hand, demanding attention. Abigail chuckles, picking him up to set him back down on the ground. Unsurprisingly, the cat moves to sit in front of the door leading back to the holding cages. He meows a few times, but eventually settles down and falls asleep.

Abigail hands a paper across the table for the man to sign, enabling him to adopt a chosen puppy. “Who’s that?” The man wonders, pointing his pen in the direction of the cat nestled by the door.

“We call him Buddy,” Abigail smiles sadly. “He followed a dog in here a few years ago. The dog had to be put down, but Buddy never left. He waits outside the door every day, like he expects the dog to come back out.”

 

Across the room, Frank sleeps with his head on his paws. He can hear the words the human woman says, but they don’t mean anything to him. A part of him knows by now that Gerard is gone, that his best friend isn’t coming back. But every day, Frank waits for him because he can’t will himself to leave. Gerard was the only person in the world who loved Frank, and now that memory is the only thing Frank has left.


End file.
